


New Heights (LevixOC)

by lucidrebel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 04:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1885797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucidrebel/pseuds/lucidrebel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Character: Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin</p><p>Pairing: LevixOC<br/>OC: Sage Rhiannon</p><p>Content: Some fluff</p><p>Rating: PG-13 - for language</p><p>AU: No</p><p>Character Notes:<br/>-Shoulder-length blonde hair<br/>-Emerald green eyes<br/>-Very shy and stutters a lot, but not when it comes to combat</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Character: Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin
> 
> Pairing: LevixOC  
> OC: Sage Rhiannon
> 
> Content: Some fluff
> 
> Rating: PG-13 - for language
> 
> AU: No
> 
> Character Notes:  
> -Shoulder-length blonde hair  
> -Emerald green eyes  
> -Very shy and stutters a lot, but not when it comes to combat

"Your swordsmanship is beyond that of many others," Erwin complimented. "But it seems that you have been having trouble with the Maneuver Gear. Is that correct?"

"Hーhai," I nodded, locking eyes with the commander. My hair fell in my line of vision, but with a quick puff of air from my lips, I blew it away.

"I see. Despite your pleas, reports from the others trainers state that you are doing fine."

"I'm not, really. Aーactually, I've messed up quite a few times."

"Ah, I see. What measures would you like to take?"

I sucked in a sharp breath. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. Extra training? A personal trainer? A personalizedー" I cut myself off and flushed, looking at the ground. "Excuse me. These requests are really selfish and time-consuming. It's fine if I'm just left the way I am."

To my surprise, he chuckled softly. "Nonsense. It seems you will become a fine soldier in the near future." I bit my lip and nodded in thanks. "Very well. I know the best person to train you."

"You do?!" I bit my lip again in embarrassment of my outburst and shrunk a little. "Sーsorry. I meant that would be awesome." He smiled warmly.

"Don't concern yourself too much, Cadet Rhiannon."

"Hーhai, Commander Erwin. Thank you so much!" He nodded.

"Not a problem. Now, please meet back at the training grounds at seven am sharp. You will meet your new personal trainer there."

"Will do!" I saluted in respect and left his room. Relief washed over me as I sighed deeply outside his door. Over the past few years, even though it seemed like I was pretty good at using the Maneuver Gear, I had a horrible fear of heights. I was hoping joining the Corps would help relieve me of that shackle, but so far nothing had changed. I was still only the girl from Wall Sina who had the biggest fear of heights. Most often whenever we practiced on those tall wooden titans, I finished them as quickly as I couldーusually minutes at a timeーand got my feet back on the ground as soon as possible. I tried so desperately to ignore the fear that spread throughout my body, numbing every muscle, but no matter what I tried nothing worked.

Hopefully getting a new trainer would help me overcome my disadvantage. What would happen outside of the walls if I were to encounter a Titan, and the only thing around were either trees or the titans own body? I'd probably be the first to get eaten...

I shrugged and yawned, stretching my arms. It was dark outside when I reached the exit of the small building. Heading over to the dorms, I began wobbling slightly from the drowsiness I'd been feeling for awhile. It had been a long day, trying again and again to get used to the high altitude, but like usual nothing worked. My eyelids started to grow heavier but I struggled to stay awake. 'Just a little farther...' I encouraged myself.

Suddenly I ran into a soft wall, crashing backward onto my butt. I groaned in pain and heard another voice swearing along with mine. When my vision stopped spinning, across from me I found a man with his black hair scowling at me, also sprawled on the ground.   
"Watch where you're going, brat," he spat, sitting up. While I studied him I noticed he had an undercut.

"What're you lookin' at?" I snapped my attention to his metallic gray eyes. It was hard to form words while those beady eyes bore right into mine.

"Nーnothing," I replied timidly. "Sorry for bothering yーyou!"

"Damn right, you're bothersome." Hastily I stood and offered him a hand to stand. He glared at me with a look of complete hatred before swatting it away and standing himself, dusting off his pure white pants. "Filthy."

"IーI apologize," I muttered in a small voice.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue while still looking at me as if I was a piece of trash. I couldn't help but shrink under his intimidating gaze. "Get out of my sight."

It didn't take me a moments hesitation to duck around the stranger and begin sprinting for the dorms. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment. I'd made such a fool out of myself!

\---

I yawned and stretched my arms upwards, arching my back. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, casting a citrus gradient across the sky. I smacked my lips and sighed deeply. 'Why did I have to start training so early?' I wondered. My knees were about to give out from exhaust because I'd stayed up so late last night worrying about the horrible impression I'd made on that stranger from last night. 'On second thought, who is he? I never got his name.'

My attention was brought back when I heard two voices nearing me. I recognized them both; one as Commander Erwin's, and the other familiar but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Why am I the one to babysit this pitiful brat? They can just deal with their own problems."

"Calm, Levi. She's very experienced but she just needs a little push is all. No complaints."

"But Erwinー!"

"Enough. Now quiet, there she is."

I turned to see Erwin walking up to me with someone exceptionally short by his side. Strangely I knew that steely gaze and disgusted pout. When they reached where I was standing, his image from last night flashed in my mind. My eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, it's you?" he scoffed. Erwin shot him a look. Before addressing me.

"Cadet Sage Rhiannon," he called. I saluted, slamming my fist onto my chest above my heart.

"Hーhai," I nodded.

"Thisー" He waved a hand to the short man. "ーis going to be your personal trainer: Captain Levi."

"Theーthe Captain Levi?" I was in awe as I drew my gaze back to him. "As in humanity's strongest soldier?"

"The one and only." Erwin smirked slightly and earned a sideways glare from Levi.

"How did someone like me get someone as talented asーas he is as my trainer?" I asked, astounded. Erwin smiled softly.

"It wasn't any trouble to ask him of a small favor."

"This is hell." Levi growled. I realized at that moment that he did not in fact want to train me. After last night, he probably hated me.

"Sーsorry," I apologized, casting my eyes downward. "If it's too much trouble to train me, I completely understand. You don't need to go through so much just for me."

"Really, this is nothing." Erwin slightly shoved Levi forward. "Now, Levi, I expect you to train her correctly in using the Maneuver Gear. That is all. Got it?"

"Tch." Levi rolled his eyes. "Fine. But that means I get Imperial Green Tea instead of just regular for the next month." He crossed his arms.

"Whaー" Erwin cleared his throat. "Levi, you already know we of the Survey Corps have funding troubles. Affording tea in the first place is a challenge. You don't needー"

"Imperial. Green. Tea."

He sighed and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Now, get to training." He turned and started back to the direction of his office. Levi let out a pent up sigh and glared at me.

"I never imagined my trainee would've been you," he chuckled without any real humor. "If you're as clumsy with the gear as you are with walking, then we're both in deep trouble."

"I'mーI'm really sorry about last night," I muttered without taking my eyes off of the ground. "I was very tired and IーI wasn't looking at where I was going."

"Sorry doesn't fixed anything," he snapped. "Because of you, I had to throw away one pair of pants. A stain wouldn't come off the behind."

"I'm soー" I cut myself off and stayed silent, unsure of what to say to him. He was definitely cold, and he definitely hated me. After a few moments of silence he clicked his tongue and started off towards the forest behind me, readying his gear.

"So are we going to train or sit our asses here like ducks?" I finally forced myself to look at him. He was rather skinny, but muscles were visible through the wrinkles of his shirt. His face was just about flawless, his thin eyebrows stuck in a permanent scowl. Did he ever smile? "The hell you lookin' at?"

I blinked and felt my cheeks burn but began to follow him, whispering, "Sorry." Again he clicked his tongue but we finally reached the tree line after what seemed like an eternity.

"Tch. Alright then, let's take it slow. Just charge forward." he instructed with a bored tone to his deep voice.

"Sーslow?" I repeated. Dread built up in my stomach; going slow would be impossible for me. If I went slow, I'd be able to see how far above the ground I was instead of the scenery all blurring past me.

"Did I fucking stutter? Yes slow."

"Sーsorry!" My heart rate began to pick up as he shot out his hooks and began blasting forward up into the trees. I took a deep breath but I could feel my hands shaking as I shot out my own hooks. It clamped onto a nearby tree and I travelled upwards. Immediately I had the instinct to shoot them out even further and just speed ahead, but Levi's voice stopped me.

"Remember to start slow, brat!" he called over the wind roaring past my ears. With trembling hands, I forced myself to slow down and steady my pace. But no matter what I did, the dread in my stomach began to form and weigh a thousand tons.

My fear probably wasn't heights, but more the fear of falling. My breathing was becoming uneven and erratic, my vision turning fuzzy. I clutched my chest with one hand as I tried to balance my swirling head, but I couldn't. My watering gaze fell to the ground below and I saw that I was probably over a hundred feet above ground. If I fell from this height, I would surely be plummeting to my death. If I was lucky, I would most likely shatter every bone in my petite body. Then I would be just another useless human.

"I must face my fears," I encouraged myself as I charged onwards and kept pace with Levi, who was also whizzing past the trees a near me.

"Slow down! We're starting from scratch, brat!" he commanded. It took all of my mental and physical will power to stop shooting through the air at break-neck speeds. "Let's stay like this for awhile until you're used to it, then we'll speed up!"

I had to bit my tongue from yelling out, 'But I'm afraid! I'm better at going faster! I have a fear of heights! Going slower only worsens it!' But I didn't have enough courage to do so. I only clenched the fabric of my shirt even tighter in my hand. It felt like the air supply was slowly being sucked up from my lungs. I tried taking deeper and more drawn out breaths to continue fueling my deteriorating sanity. The trees began multiplying before my eyes and morphing back together.

Pain shot through my head as I glanced once again at the far away ground, yelping out loud softly. "Cadet Rhiannon?!" Levi's voice resonated over the harsh whistling of the wind. I fought to keep my focus on the gear, but the struggle was too much. As I shot out my hook, I missed the trunk I was aiming for by an inchーand it grappled onto only air. At once panic rang throughout my body and I began to fall headfirst towards the ground below me. My body froze up and my blood ran cold. I was going to die.

"SAGE!"


	2. Part Two

Fear shook through my body as I began tumbling down through the thin branches that whipped every part of my body, likely to leave bruises and scars. But that was the least of my worries; the ground was approaching quickly.

'Is this really how I'm going to die?' I wondered regretfully. I braced myself for the deadly impact and squeezed my eyes shut. My mind whirled at the speed of a tornado, my sanity beginning to crumble.

Just as I was about to collide with the grass and dirt forest floor, a different force clamped strong arms around me from the side and we went tumbling.

My face was pressed into the crook of someone's neck, blocking out my view from everything but I was sure that now we were toppling over one another. We continued to stumble across the ground quickly until finally we came into a stop. As we were rolling the cords of my gear and someone else's wrapped around us, binding our bodies closely together.

I landed on my side, my arms pinned slightly around someone else's waist.

"Idiot!" Levi's voice spat distastefully. I twisted my neck so I could look around and saw that it was his body I was pressed up against. I let out a small squeal and blushed furiously. "What the hell were you doing?!"

"I missedーI missed the tree," I stammered nervously, still feeling his arms tightly holding me to him.

"Look at what you've done now, brat."

"Sーsorry..."

He fumbled weakly at the cords holding our bodies together but to no avail. They were bounded around us so tightly it was a struggle to breathe properly. Grunts of effort filled the air as we tried to free ourselves but it was too hard to move around. Eventually we gave up and settled into our awkward positions. Hopefully he couldn't hear or feel my racing heartbeat.

"Whatーwhat are we going to do now?" I wondered aloud.

"Don't ask me," he scoffed. "There's no way we can free ourselves and we're too deep in the forest. Even calling for help would be useless."

"Then do we justーjust wait?"

"Well, do you have any better ideas, brat?"

I bit my lip and kept silent. "Sorry. This is all mーmy fault."

"Damn right it's your fault. You can't even go slow using the gear."

"It's because Iー" I cut myself off, unable to tell him. He would just laugh, surely.

"Because you what? Speak up, brat."

"I have a..." The words couldn't leave my throat.

"Just say it!" He purposely squeezed me tighter. A yelp of pain ripped from my mouth.

"I have a fear of heights!" I confessed. I gasped quietly and bit my lip, completely embarrassed. Before that moment, I'd never told a living soul about my ridiculous fear.

"You have a fear of heights?" He burst out into a fit of laughter. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You joined the Corps and you have a fear of heights? How did you even make it three years?" With every small chuckle that left his lips, it felt like a knife repeatedly stabbed me in the chest. I just wanted to shrink up and disappear. When he calmed down, I was just about ready to jump off a cliff.

"What did you expect when you joined?" he sneered. I just kept silent and didn't meet his eyes. "Oi, answer me."

Against my will, I locked gazes with them; but I wish I hadn't. Tears welled up in my eyes when I saw the disgust and amusement. This was something that I truly fearedーyet here he was, making fun of it. As soon as our gazes made contact those cold eyes softened. That smirk he was wearing faltered.

"Oi IーI didn't mean toー" he started, sudden panic crossing his face. Before I could stop myself, the tears began to overflow and I started sobbing quietly. Even though it was mortifying to cry, I didn't have anything else to lose. After all, he knew my biggest fear now. "Brat. Stop crying."

"I'mーI'm sorry," I hiccupped, sealing my lips. It felt horrible to look so helpless in front of humanity's strongest soldier. No matter how much I tried, the crying couldn't stop. He sighed in desperation, rolling his eyes.

My heart skipped a beat when he wrapped his arms around me tighter and brought his face next to mine. 'Is he... is he trying to comfort me?!' I wondered in shock.

"I said, stop crying, you brat." he muttered in my ear. I stiffened at the sudden closenessーif it was even possible to get closer to himーand a shiver ran down my spine. My mortifying tears ceased somewhat but I still sniffed like a child. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

It probably wasn't the smartest move, but I tightened my arms around his waist and buried my face into his shoulder. I never got comfort back in the Trainee Squads, and I hadn't had a hugーor even been close to anyoneーin years. "Oi, you're getting your tears all over my jacket!" he complained.

"Sーsorry," I apologized, not letting go. I didn't care who it was, but I wanted to take advantage of this momentary kindness he showed me.

"Let go."

"I can't." He took a deep breath of frustration, his chest rising and falling largely. When it expanded, the cords wound tightly around my back tightened painfully, causing me to yelp in pain. That's when I realized how wounded we were. There were multiple scraps and scratches on both of our faces, some beading with maroon blood. Bruises were bound to form on our arms and legs where we tumbled along and were the cords were painfully forced into our skin through the thin clothing.

"What now?" Levi whined.

"Thatーthat hurt," I whimpered, wiggling to ease the tension off my back. Even our legs were tangled together in a mess.

"Put up with it, brat."

"Sーsorry..."

And with that we were left in silence, with only one thing to do: wait.

\---

After what felt like an eternity, night began to fall. The sky gradually turned yellow, then orange, then red. When those citrus colors disappeared, a deep violet started seeping into the sky. The clouds became much more transparent as I glanced sideways. Unfortunately, the temperature began to plummet along with the light. I started to feel much more anxious and fidgety.

"Damn, how long are those little bastards gonna take?!" Levi growled, struggling against the cords. Because of that they dug even deeper into my skin, and I screamed in pain. New tears threatened to join the dry ones on my cheeks. "Quit whining, brat!"

"Sーsorry Heichou," I apologized in a small voice. "But it hーhurts."

"What does?"

"When you move the cordsーagh!ーdig deeper into my skin." He craned his neck to inspect my back, where they were digging into my skin by my lower back and shoulder blades. He sucked in a breath quickly, drawing fear up in me. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Except you're bleeding." My face contorted in pain as he shifted so he move one hand freely. "Sorry, brat, but you're gonna need to put up with this." I gritted my teeth as he began to tug hard on the cord that was causing me the most pain, rubbing against my skin like a dagger. He grunted in effort and finally loosened it enough so there was a small pocket of space.

I sighed in pleasure and relief, the tension finally relaxing a little.

"Better?" he offered.

"A lot," I breathed. It felt good since now my bleeding back was taken care of, but now there was a new problem. My teeth began to chatter loudly, shivers trembling throughout my body nonstop. As night fell, the temperature felt like it dropped to subzero. Our jackets did little to nothing to warm us.

"Tch. You're cold?" he asked. Unable to answer, I nodded briefly. "Damn... is anyone looking for us or are we going to die of the cold?"

\---

[Back At Erwin's]

Erwin, tired, bruised and battered from a day of instructing trainees, walked into his office and plopped down onto his chair. He sighed heavily and could already feel the fatigue make his body heavier, but he still had mounds of paperwork to do.

"So much to do," he groaned quietly. Just as he was about to begin work, he thought of Levi.

"Eh, he probably already went home and knocked out already," he shrugged, picking up a stack of paper. Instantly he froze, his eyes widening with an idea that popped up in his head.

"Since Levi isn't here..." A devilish grin appeared on his lips. "I can have some of his special green tea!" New happiness blossomed in him as he stood and sneaked over to Levi's cabinet, opening the top drawer. Inside were a few packs of specially imported green tea. Erwin pumped his fist in the air triumphantly and took one, happy enough to celebrate.

\---

[Back at Sage's]

"He better not be touching my fucking tea," Levi growled.

"Sーsorry I got us trapped out here," I apologized. "I didn't mean to."

He snorted loudly. "No one ever means to, and look at us now." I bit my lip.

"So are weーwe're just going to wait in the cold?"

"Have you come up with any other ideas?"

"Uhー"

"Exactly. Now shut up, your voice is getting annoying." Another "sorry" was about to leave my mouth, but I bit it back.

We were left in silence but the cold was seriously getting to me now. The worst chills danced up and down my spine repeatedly, sending my teeth chattering. Having this thin piece of fabric called a "jacket" was probably the most useless thing ever during nights like these.

Even with Levi next to me, I still shook like a tree on a windy day. Impossibly, he was perfectly stillーhis body temperature was like a fire compared to my ice cold skin. Thankfully, a new idea popped up in my head.

"HーHeichou?" I chattered.

"What?" he answered sharply in an annoyed tone. I winced at the lack of pity, but spoke.

"I gーgot an idea."

"Well what are you waiting for? Spit it out."

"What if wーwe rolled back the way we cーcame? If the cords coiled around us when we were rーrolling, what if we roll out of iーit?"

It was silent as he contemplated my idea thoroughly before he sighed. "It's better than nothing."

"Okay, then wーwhy don't weー?!" I was cut off as he heaved me over him, my entire body weight being thrown against his. He grunted in effort but managed to get me over him.

"Brace yourself," he smirked, swiftly gliding over me in only one quick motion. I was in awe at his strength while we continued, one over the other; although he did most of the work. He must've been incredibly strong if he was able to heave me over him, causing pain to himselfーyet pushing his own body over mine as if he weighed nothing.

Finally, we were undone of the long cords. He stayed down on the ground, panting and catching his breath while finally stretching out his body. I sat up and played with my appendages, making sure that they were all functioning properly. "Thーthank you," I thanked. "You're incredibly stーstrong."

I smacked a hand over my mouth on the last part, but a smug look came upon his face.

"You thought I was weak, didn't you, idiot?"

"Nーno! I'd neverー!"

"Doesn't matter. What does is that we find shelter before we freeze to death." He stood and dusted his pants off, stretching his limbs. "Take a look at our gear; it's broken and malfunctioning. At this rate we'll never make it back."

I took a scan at our dark surroundings. It was already almost impossible to make out Levi's small figure in the black, but from the light of the moon I spotted a large space under the trunk of a tree. "Thーthere!" I cried out, pointing it out. "Maybe it's bーbig enough for the both of us?"

He squinted in the darkness to make out the small hollow part of the gigantic tree. "Wait here," he instructed firmly. "I'll check it out first in case of any animals like wolves or bears."

"Bーbears?! Wolves?!" I jumped to my feet and got ready to sprint at any moment. He rolled his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Yes, bears. We're in the forest, idiot. Now shut up before you wake all of the animals."

As I stood trembling in the darkness, fallen leaves crunched under his boots while he walked over to the space. He disappeared from my vision as he crawled in, his silhouette covered by the shadows.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I heard his terrible, blood-curling scream.


	3. Part Three

"Heichou!" I shrieked, trembling as I held myself, watching the entrance to the small space opening. Moments of silence passed, until rustling sounded. Tentatively, I froze and stared with wide eyes as a... rabbit hopped out of the entrance and away.

Levi came out afterwards, laughing loudly. "Idiot!" he chortled. "Were you afraid of that rabbit?"

"IーI thought youー" Tears welled up in my eyes. "Dーdon't scare me like that!"

"You're so gullible, it's quite idiotic." He blew a lose strand of hair out of his face and motioned to the opening. "Well? Are you going to go or stand there like a jackass?" I blinked my "idiotic" tears away and trudged over, hanging my head low so my hair would cover my face and block it from his view. After reaching it I bent over and crawled inside, a musty smell instantly hitting my senses. Along the dirt bottom were a few dead leaves and very many sticks.

Shortly after Levi crawled in too, leaning back against the hollow trunk and heaving a big sigh. "We still need a fire," he frowned. Silently we felt along the ground for the sticks that I got a glimpse of when the moonlight still hit our surroundings. Now it was nearly pitch black, with the only light not reaching where we needed to see.

While I was searching, my hand brushed against something warm. I cringed and recoiled, a small shriek leaving my lips. "Thーthere's something here!" I whisper-yelled in complete fear.

"You're seriously that dumb?" he sighed. I blinking in confusion, trying to adjust my eyes to the dark even more.

"Whーwhat?"

"That's not just any 'something'. That was my hand, you idiot. See?" Before I'd realized it, he grabbed my hand and entwined his fingers with mine, his warmth radiating off his skin like the sun. I could feel my own cheeks heat up at the sudden contact. "Your skin..."

I thrusted away my shock and spat out, "Whーwhat?"

"Your skin is so cold."

"I'm cーcold, so..."

"Then we should hurry with this fire." I nodded in agreement and he let go of me, allowing us to resume our scavenging. Finally we came up with a small stack, and he brought out a lighter from the inside of his jacket and lit the pile. After a few failures, the ember caught on to the dirty and slightly damp twigs, a fire coming to life. The flames licked the branches and dead leaves we sprinkled on top to spread it even further.

Now it was finally possible to see our surroundings. The hollow of the tree wasn't that high; if I stood, I'd hit my head against the ceiling of the space. Luckily for me, there were no dead animals decaying in our spot. Leviーwith his habitーcleared up the place, so we were now only sitting on the barren dirt ground. From my position, I could see just outside in case any animals actually did try to confront us.

I sighed heavily and crawled over to one side of the circular trunk, leaning against it and tucking my knees closer to my chest. The fire did some good in warming me, but I was still shivering from the cold that still surrounded us. Of course I wanted to scoot closer to our fire and warm myself, but if I did I would've caught on fire or burned myself.

Levi sat against the trunk across the opposite side of the fire. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, those tense shoulders relaxing. If only I could do the same...

"You're still cold?" he suddenly asked. Shakily I nodded, curling even deeper into my little ball. He cracked an eye open to glance at my pathetic self, raising a brow. To my surprise he reached out a hand and beckoned lightly, motioning his scrawny fingers. Confused, I furrowed my brows and cocked my head.

After sighing he motioned more diligently, not uttering a word. Hesitantly I complied, debating with myself until I complied and crawled over, sitting down next to him. He began to remove his arms from the sleeves of his jacket, me watching his every move. Then lazily he held one side of his jacket open in an expectant manner.

"Youーyou want me toー?" I stuttered, pointing to myself.

"I don't want to," he replied. "But if you don't get over here then fine, freeze to death."

"Nーno, I do waー"

"Then hurry up and get over here, idiot."

I scrambled to scoot closed to him, ending up pressed close to his body. Strange as it seems despite his cold manner, he radiated a warmth that warmed more than just my skin. He wrapped the jacket around my shoulders and his, so we were sharing it. Subconsciously I snuggled deeper into him, the heat enveloping me like a blanket.

"Ahh," I sighed in content, leaning my head back onto the tree.Sure, it definitely felt strange to be so close to my captain on the day I met him but in a situation like this, I was grateful for any source of warmth. Plus, after spending hours tied up so tightly against him did some in scarring my memory.

My tranquility was shattered when he sought the answer for the one question I dreaded: "Why are you afraid of something like heights? Shouldn't you be afraid of titans?"

"Pーprobably," I answered, taking his words into thought. "but... to be honest, I'm not afraid of just about anything. Except heights. And talking to people." I chuckled nervously.

"That doesn't make any sense. I take it you're not afraid to get eaten... are you? Or are you just a bigger idiot than I thought?"

"I'm not afraid. If I died because I was eaten, I couldn't care less. But I'm rather afraid ofーof falling, not heights."

"Well then, I'm surprised you aren't mentally breaking down because you just fell."

"I know, IーI did. And I can't say that I wasn't afraid, because in truth I was completely scared out of my wits."

"Tch... I still can't understand how you survived three years in the Trainee Squads."

"My intention was to get rid ofーof my fear. Although nothing's really helped, and nothing's changed since the day I arrived. I stillーI still can't look at the ground without freezing up."

"So then just pure, dumb luck?"

"IーI guess." He laughed dryly, the sound still similar to that of a melodious viola playing. It sent the blush rushing to my cheeks, so I buried my face in my hands and drew up my knees again. "Sーsorry. I guess then I'm just aーa useless soldier, huh?"

Instantly his face fell into a serious one. "There is no such thing as a useless soldier," he deadpanned, staring me straight in the eyes. Even though the small flame only flickered weakly, his slate eyes glimmered with something I'd never expected to see; life. Life and ambition, defying my vision and telling that behind his cold exterior was a mind that was far beyond spontaneous.

I couldn't help but stare, completely awe as they seemed to glow in the shadows.

"What is it?" Levi questioned, narrowing those very eyes I was captivated by. Snapping out of my head and blinking back to reality, I tore away my gaze and stared at the fire instead.

"Nーnothing..." I whispered, still remembering that sparked gaze clearly as if the image was imprinted into my eyes. Before I could bite it back I blurted, "Hーheichou, you're not as bad of a person as you seem."

"Waitーwhat?" He proceeded to stare at me as if I were an extraterrestrial being. Mentally I slapped myself, biting my lip nervously.

"Umーnothing. Ignore that. I didn't meanーI didn't mean to say that."

"No, I heard you perfectly. Why do you say that?"

"...IーI dunno. I just feel like there's much more to you than it seems."

He raised a skinny brow. "Is that so?"

"For example, you say you don'tーyou say you don't care about me but you saved my life and here you are, sharing yourーyour jacket with me."

He chuckled without any humor. "Strange, no one's ever told me that before."

"Really?" I was in slight surprise at the fact that no one had ever before probably noticed that he was in fact, only human too. "Honestly, I don't think you should be treated any differently. We'reーwe're the same... human."

Those cobalt eyes stared deeply into mine as if reading my soul. They were full of curiosity and slight shock, a sight that I started becoming more and more addicted to.

"You know, brat... you're strange," he murmured bluntly. "Different. At least, from the others. It's the first time I've heard any of those things."

"You can call me Sage, you know..." I whispered mostly to myself.

"Idiot suits you better."

"Butーbut you don't really mean it, so...why say it?"

"Who said I didn't mean it?"

"I can tell youーyou don't." Warily he eyed me, his face completed disgruntled.

"You think in very weird ways. Alright then... Sage."

Goosebumps prickled at my skin when my name left his lips, rolling out in what seemed like a mellow melody. That's when I'd realized that I had heard him say my name before, but that was only right before he saved me.

"LーLevi..." I stammered. It caught his attention as he scowled at me slightly.

"Hn," he grunted.

"Can Iーcan I call you that? Levi?"

"Do whatever. Heichou was getting annoying anyway, you're only doing me a favor."

"Hai... Levi." I let his name play on my tongue, falling from my lips perfectly. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, letting a giggle slip out.

"Why are you laughing?" he frowned.

"Nーnothing... and I don't believe I'd ever said thank you forーfor saving me. So... thank you."

"Hn."

"Just wondering, but whyーwhy did you save me? I could've justーjust fallen back there, but..."

"Do you really expect me to just watch a soldier die?"

"I don'tーI don't really think I can be called a soldier when I need saving byーby my captain."

"Regardless the fact that you're a wimp due to your little fear, you are much stronger than many of the people currently enrolled in the Recon Corps."

"Rーreally?" My cheeks started to warm. "Youーyou think so?"

"Do I sound like I'm lying? Besides, all you need is a small push. Scratch that, the biggest fucking push."

"I guess..."

"Well, then just remember if you fall I'll be there to catch you."

My jaw dropped slightly as those words left his mouth. "Cーcatch me?" I repeated.

"If that's what it takes for you to let go of something like a fear of heights, idiーSage."

That warmth I was feeling earlier completely melted me as I leaned closer against him, pecking him on his cheek. Instantly he tensed up against me and recoiled as I drew away.

"Whatーwhat the hell was that for?!" he cried, a red coming across his cheeks... or it was just a trick of the flame's light.

"I neededーI needed a way to say thank you," I explained. "and I'm just a measly soldier, so... yeah." I chuckled nervously and gently laid my head against his shoulder, drowsiness overcoming my senses.

"So... thanks... Levi..." my voice faltered as my lids grew heavier and heavier. Before I slipped out of consciousness, I felt his cheek lean against the top of my head.

"You're strange, Sage," Levi murmured. "but a good kind of strange."


	4. Part Four - End

"Erwin! Lookie! I found them! And aw~!"

"So this is where they've been hiding, hm?"

"They're sleeping together! How cute, kyaaa~! I wonder how they got here?"

"Lucky we found their broken equipment."

"Yeah, yeah, anyways - grab a camera or something! Just look at how adorable sleeping Levi is! And he's, oh my, he's - I can't take it!"

"Calm down, Hanji. We need to make sure they aren't injured, but... I don't think it's a good idea to wake him up."

"What about this little cadet, here?"

"Unh..." I grunted, cracking my eyes open a slit as broad daylight poured onto my face. Instinctively I blinked a few times and a brunette's curious face popped into view, through the opening of my little cubby.

"She's awake!" the brunette cried happily, a gigantic grin plastered onto her face.

Groggily I rubbed my eyes and yawned quietly. Then I froze, feeling a warm weight on my lap. Glancing down, I viewed Levi sleeping soundly! My cheeks steamed as I silently panicked, looking at the brunette for help. She only giggled behind her hand whilst pointing at him, desperately holding in barking laughter.

"Wh - what happened?!" I asked in a hushed whisper. The woman shrugged and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"That's a question I'd like you to answer," she simply responded before backing up out of the opening and trudging over to another pair of long brown boots.

In a panicked state, all I could do was freeze and stare at the sleeping captain in my lap. 'How did we end up like this?' I wondered. 'I don't remember...'

Then it all came back to me. 'You're strange, Sage, but a good kind of strange.'

There was never a moment where I'd been so red. Embarrassed by the memory, I covered my face in my hand and attempted to curl into a ball - until I also remembered that Levi was still asleep on my lap. Due to my small jerky movements his head lolled to the side a bit and he stirred in his sleep. His eyebrows furrowed as his face neared my stomach.

I tensed up and pressed my back firmly against the hollow tree trunk - but it wasn't such a smart idea. My injury from the previous day throbbed painfully and sent a shock shooting throughout my entire body. I yelped loudly and hunched forward, clutching the hem of my shirt to restrain myself from crying out any more.

"Hn?" Levi groaned with half-lidded eyes. Nervously I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking over at me with a dazed silvery gaze. I smiled sheepishly but was shocked when he suddenly grabbed me and pulled me over so my back was now flat on the ground, and he laid right on top of me - head on my chest.

"Wha -?!" I cried in shock, my cheeks steaming much more than the Colossal titan could ever. My confusion was met with the small snores and steady breathing of sleeping Levi again. "Huh?"

He was now sprawled on top of my, arms wrapped around my torso as if I was a teddy bear. Just when I thought things couldn't have gotten any worse, the woman popped her head in again.

"The horses are here, so we can leave no -" she started, but she was stopped short when she saw the snuggling Levi on top of me. I could see it was so hard for her not to burst out laughing, so she quickly left my view. Yet seconds later I heard the breathless barks of laughter resonating loudly just outside, obviously belonging to her.

"No!" I pleaded feebly, too quiet for anyone to hear. "Pl - please, someone, help me!"

"Hanji," Levi moaned in his sleep. "Shut the fuck up or I'm going to kill you." He snuggled even deeper into me and I completely froze.

In this situation, I was unable to move.

Then another head popped into the space - but this time, it was a blonde male. Commander Erwin. His thick eyebrows shot up when he spotted my extra awkward position. I could tell he was, too, holding back laughter.

"Uh," he hesitated, clearing his throat. "would you mind waking him? The horses have arrived, so we can leave now."

After taking a few moments to process his words, I gulped loudly and nodded. He disappeared afterwards and I could hear his snickers join the woman's.

I took a deep breath and looking down at the face of my sleeping Heichou. "Levi?" I whispered, gently tapping him on the shoulder. "L - Levi, it's time to get up."

He stayed still and had no response, so I tried again, but this time a little louder.

"Levi! Wake up, Levi!" I resorted to shaking his shoulder lightly. Still he stayed undisturbed. Nothing I tried worked, so I theorized if I moved him, would he wake?

Carefully working my hands to his arms, I tried unhinging them from my body; but he stayed glued against me.

"Ple - please wake up!" I begged, now shaking him much more roughly.

Finally, he groggily lifted his lids and glared at me. "What the hell do you want?" he whined in an edgy tone.

"It's - it's time to wake up," I informed. "And could you please - maybe - get off of me?"

He blinked in confusion before lifting his head and observing around us. Then, as realization hit him, he leaped off of me with crimson cheeks and crawled out of our little space. I sighed with relief and relaxed, wiping the beads of sweat off my forehead.

Guffaws belonging to the brunette and Erwin were heard increasing in volume as Levi left my presence. Once my heartbeat had calmed down to a regular rate, I sat up and crawled too out of the opening. At first I couldn't see anything due to the suns glare; but after a few moments I could see the rays breaking through the trees. There were three broad stallions grazing calmly by a small patch of grass, and three figures chatting quietly near the horses.

Levi and Erwin looked like they were deep into conversation, yet the brunette seemed to be cheerfully cracking jokes and making fun of Levi.

"U - um..." I stammered, timidly walking over. "I'm ready..."

"Oh, it's Levi's pillow!" the brunette chirped. She bounded over to me and shook my hand vigorously. "I'm Hanji! And you are?"

"That's Sage," Levi responded in place of me. "Now fuck off, Hanji. We have to get going."

Erwin nodded in agreement. "But we only brought three horses - so we're going to have to share."

"Ooh~!" Hanji cheered. "Leviii~ I want to ride with you!" She playfully mussed up Levi's hair.

An irk appeared on his forehead as he shoved her hand away, finger-combing his black strands. "Hell no, and keep your filthy hands off of me."

"Aww, but why?! It'll be so fun! Like giving a little kid pony rides!"

In mere seconds Levi had grabbed Hanji's collar and pulled her close, a deathly glowering look on his slim face. "You want to die very badly, don't you?" he seethed in a dangerously low tone. Erwin gave a sigh of annoyance and put a hand on Levi's shoulder.

"Levi," he warned. "we don't need any trouble. Especially in front of your subordinate." He gestured towards where I stood, curiously watching them. "Since you aren't willing to ride with Hanji, why don't you ride with Cadet Rhiannon here?"

Levi turned and flashed me a daunting look, before muttering, "Better than being with that shitty four-eyes."

Hanji threw up her hands in defeat and ran to a horse, jokingly sobbing into its mane. "Oh horsey," she whined. "Levi doesn't like me~!"

Levi rolled his eyes and trudged over to another stallion and adjusted its saddle. "If it wasn't obvious by now." Without turning he beckoned at me with a curled finger. I hesitantly walked over and hitched onto its back with the assistance of Levi. He mounted on after me.

Erwin also took another one of the broad animals. "Let's go!" he commanded, breaking his horse into a light gallop. Hanji followed suit.

"Don't fall," Levi instructed as he wove his hands around my waist and grabbed the reins, pressing his chest close to my back. I yelped as my wound acted up again, earning a confused look from him. He glanced at my shirt and spotted the bloodstain - a reminder of my injury. Then he adjusted himself so he didn't press up against my lower back and whipped the reins, kicking the side of the horse with his foot.

"Hyah!" he yelled, and the horse caught up to the others.

"So, Sage," Hanji roared over the thundering hooves. "What exactly happened?"

"I heard from Levi you have a fear of heights?" Erwin questioned.

I raised my brows and looked backwards at the captain; though he didn't meet my eyes. Regretfully I replied, "Yes, sir."

"That's amazing!" Hanji cheered. "Three years and you survived in the Trainee Squad?! I'm shocked! You're tougher than ya look."

I reddened and smiled slightly. "N - not really. I was hoping extra training would work, but I, um, screwed up... which led to our equipment getting broken."

"We got stuck," Levi explained, not bothering to go into details. "By the time we got free it was already dark."

"Nothing... like that happened, did it?" Hanji snickered mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

"Just what are you implying, shitty four-eyes?"

"Well when we discovered you this morning, things didn't turn out as I'd... expected it." She giggled. "I mean, you used your subordinates lap as a pillow! Was it comfortable?"

"What?" He sounded surprised. "I did no such thing."

"But wait - that's not all! The next time I checked up on you, you wound up on top of her - using her chest instead! Even Erwin saw, right?" She cackled loudly. Erwin didn't bother turning to us, but he nodded.

"...Sage?" Levi asked. I flinched and nodded slowly. Then he let out a groan of incompetence. "Fuck. I'll never get the end of this now."

"D - don't worry!" I reassured. "It didn't bother me!"

"That doesn't necessarily make it better, brat." From the corner of my eyes I could see his cheeks turn a bit crimson.

Thankfully, for the next few hours of riding, we were dropped into a deep pit of silence; an occasional squeal of Hanji's bursting out whenever we passed an animal of some such.

When we arrived the sun was at its climax in the sky and beating down upon us heavenly. I dismounted the horse ungracefully and rubbed my thighs to relieve them of the numbness from the thumping of the horse's back. My superiors also did the same and we all stretched out our sore limbs. Levi yawned loudly behind me.

"Sage," he addressed. I turned and saluted, slamming the back of my fist on to my heart.

"H - hai, Levi!" I responded. Hanji whispered loudly to Erwin, "They're already on a first name basis! Kyaaa~!"

Ignoring them, Levi began to walk in the direction of a large, dark wood building. "Come. We need to treat that injury of yours."

"H - hai." I scampered after him and glanced briefly back at Hanji and Erwin, who were deeply in conversation. Every now and then they'd point at either Levi or I; probably the topic of their intense chatting.

Levi and I reached the building, slipping inside the door and finding that it was a rest house; a bed was pushed off to the corner, a small kitchen along the opposite wall. "Sit," he directed, pointing to the bed. "And take off your jacket."

I did as he told while he walked over to a cabinet nearby, sliding open the drawer and withdrawing a small kit. Then he came over and sat beside me, twirling his finger and indicating for me to face my back to him. I did so and with scrawny fingers he began to lift the hem of my shirt. I tensed up and instinctively went to pull it down again.

"Don't worry," he sighed. "I'm not going to do anything, idiot." Taking his words as true, I took a deep breath and instead gripped my thighs so I wouldn't be tempted to stop him again. He resumed lifting my shirt and thankfully stopped right above me stomach. I heard him grunt in displeasure, probably realizing how bad the injury must be.

I held my shirt at that position while he took a small cloth from the kit and wet it with cleaning alcohol. I accidentally let out a scream of pain when he dabbed it against my gash. Tears sprang to my eyes and I bit my lip harshly to stop screaming.

He continued again, yet more delicately this time. It still burned none-the-less, tears beginning to pour down my cheeks. Finally, he finished, and threw the cloth into the sink across the room. I sighed in relief and shook with agony; my wound was clean now, but it hurt much worse then before.

"I'm sorry," Levi murmured behind me, gently taking my hand. "but if you rather it had gotten infected, you would've left it. Stop your crying."

Quietly I stopped my tears and just gritted my teeth. Levi resumed taking care of my injury, grabbing a roll of medical gauze from the kit. He carefully wrapped it around my abdomen and stuck it with medical tape.

"Th - thanks," I breathed, pulling down my shirt and sighing heavily. "We should probably go back to training, r - right?"

"Hn," he grunted, falling over so his head was on my lap, closing his eyes. I almost squealed in shock.

"L - Levi?!"

"I'm too tired for this shit. Plus, we can train without using the gear."

"Really? H - how?"

"All you have to do..." He cracked his lids open a bit so I was meeting those slate eyes with my viridescent ones. "... is remember that even if you're going to fall, I'll just be there to catch you, brat."

My eyes grew wide as his words sunk into my mind. "Catch... me..." I repeated.

"Mm. So stop being such a chicken."

'Now, can I fly freely?' I wondered. At the thought I smiled happily.

"Thank you, Levi," I smiled, for once not stuttering. "Thank you so much."

Those gunmetal eyes grew a bit wider when he saw my grin, but he quickly shut them and grabbed the collar of my shirt.

"Wha - !" He cut me short with his lips, warm and soft against mine. When we parted he nuzzled deeper into my lap.

"Now let me sleep," he muttered. "I'm tired." His breathing became steadier and steadier as I was just left to sit, my fingers running over the lips he'd just kissed - mine.

Then I smiled again. I was the happiest I'd ever felt; my heart was leaping in my chest. It dawned upon me that now, even if I fell, I wouldn't hit rock bottom. I'd fall into warm arms.

[END]


End file.
